LOCATION NEVADAFALLS CAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, isotic, frigid Humic Dystroxerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Nevadafalls loamy coarse sand, on an east facing 4 percent slope under a cover of White Fir at an elevation of 5,880 feet (1,792.2 meters). When described the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
Oi--0 to 0 inches, (0 to 1 centimeter); slightly decomposed plant material; 1 percent subangular very strongly cemented granitoid rock fragments 2 to 75 millimeter in size; (0.5 to 0.8 inches [1 to 2 centimeters] thick)
A--0 to 6 inches, (1 to 14 centimeters); brown (10YR 4/3) loamy coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, non-sticky, non-plastic; few medium and fine and many very fine roots; 10 percent subangular very strongly cemented granitoid rock fragments 2 to 75 millimeters in size; slightly acid (pH 6.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 8 inches [2 to 20 centimeters] thick) NSSL Lab Sample # 01N00988
Bw--6 to 17 inches, (14 to 43 centimeters); brown (10YR 5/3) loamy coarse sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine, medium, and coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, non-sticky, non-plastic; few medium, common coarse, fine and many very fine roots; 10 percent subangular very strongly cemented granitoid rock fragments 2 to 75 millimeters in size; moderately acid (pH 5.8); gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 22 inches [15 to 55 centimeters] thick) NSSL Lab Sample # 01N00989
C1--17 to 31 inches, (43 to 79 centimeters); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very cobbly loamy coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak very fine granular structure; very friable, non-sticky, non-plastic; few very coarse and very fine and common coarse and medium roots; 5 percent subangular very strongly cemented granitoid rock fragments 250 to 600 millimeters in size, 15 percent subangular very strongly cemented granitoid rock fragments 2 to 75 millimeters in size, and 15 percent subangular very strongly cemented granitoid rock fragments 75 to 250 millimeters in size; moderately acid (pH 5.6); gradual smooth boundary. (14 to 39 inches [35 to 100 centimeters] thick) NSSL Lab Sample # 01N00990
C2--31 to 60 inches, (79 to 152 centimeters); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very cobbly loamy coarse sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; single grain; very friable, non-sticky, non-plastic; common coarse and medium and few very coarse, fine, and very fine roots; 5 percent subangular very strongly cemented granitoid rock fragments 250 to 600 millimeters in size, 15 percent subangular very strongly cemented granitoid rock fragments 75 to 250 millimeters in size, and 20 percent subangular very strongly cemented granitoid rock fragments 2 to 75 millimeters in size; strongly acid (pH 5.5). NSSL Lab Sample # 01N00991
TYPE LOCATION: Tuolumne County, California; approximately 650 feet (198.1 meters) northwest of Cottonwood Creek, 2,700 feet (823.0 meters) north of Cottonwood Meadow; approximately 2,000 feet (609.6 meters) east and 1,600 feet (487.7 meters)south of the northwest corner of section 33, T. 1 N., R. 20 E., Mount Diablo Base and Meridian; Latitude 37 degrees, 54 minutes, 8.0 seconds north and Longitude 119 degrees, 47 minutes, 02.2 seconds west; USGS Lake Eleanor, California quadrangle, NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is less than 46.4 degrees F (8.0 degrees C).The particle-size control section has 1 to 12 percent clay and 60 to 85 percent sand. Rock fragment content is 2 to 70 percent by volume. Some pedons do not have one or more O horizons. The content of surface rock fragments is 0 to 5 percent.
A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR (dry and moist)
Value: 3 to 5 (dry) and 2 or 3 (moist)
Chroma: 2 to 4 (dry) and 1 or 2 (moist)
Texture of the fine earth fraction: loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, or sandy loam
Clay content: 1 to 6 percent
Rock fragment content: 2 to 25 percent
Organic matter content: 3 to 10 percent
Reaction: strongly acid to slightly acid
Other characteristics: some pedons have an AB or a BA horizon
Bw horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR (dry and moist)
Value: 3 to 5 (dry) and 3 or 4 (moist)
Chroma: 3 or 4 (dry) and 2 or 3 (moist)
Texture of the fine earth fraction: loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, or sandy loam
Clay content: 1 to 12 percent
Rock fragment content: 2 to 60 percent
Organic matter content: 1 to 6 percent
Reaction: strongly acid to slightly acid
C horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR (dry and moist)
Value: 5 or 6 (dry) and 3 or 4 (moist)
Chroma: 3 or 4 (dry) and 2 to 4 (moist)
Texture of the fine earth fraction: loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, or sandy loam
Clay content: 1 to 6 percent
Rock fragment content: 2 to 70 percent
Organic matter content: 0.20 to 1.5 percent
Reaction: strongly acid to slightly acid
Other characteristics: some pedons do not have a C horizon
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series at this time.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nevadafalls soils are on moraines, ground moraines, mountain slopes, landslides, bedrock benches, stream terraces and ephemeral streams. Slope is 0 to 45 percent. Elevation is 4,430 to 7,756 feet (1,350.4 to 2364.1 meters). These soils formed in colluvium or till from granitoid rock. The mean annual precipitation is 35 to 45 inches (889 to 1,143 millimeters). Mean annual temperature is 42 to 52 degrees F (5.6 to 11.1 degrees C). The frost-free period is 20 to 60 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Clarkslodge, Waterwheel, Craneflat, and Badgerpass soils. Clarkslodge soils have an argillic horizon. Waterwheel soils do not have an umbric epipedon or cambic horizon. Craneflat soils have a sandy-skeletal particle-size class. Badgerpass soils have a sandy particle-size class.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very low to medium runoff; saturated hydraulic conductivity is high or very high.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for watershed and recreation in Yosemite National Park. The vegetation is white fir, Jeffrey pine, and mixed coniferous firs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils are in the Sierra Nevada in and near Yosemite National Park. The soils of this series are of small extent, about 7,900/3197 acres/hectares in size. MLRA 22A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Yosemite National Park, California, 2007. Proposed in 2006.
REMARKS: Isotic mineralogy class based on lab data. Nevadafalls soils have an umbric epipedon. Some Nevadafalls soils also have a cambic horizon. The vegetation according to Preliminary Description of Terrestrial Natural Community of California, Robert F. Holland and Fish and Game, State of California, 1986 is, White Fir Mixed Coniferous Forest (84232), Jeffrey Pine-Forest (85110), Sierra Mixed Coniferous Forest (84230), Sierra White Fir Forest (84240), and Upper Montane Fir Forest (85300).
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL lab data pedon number 01N0143 (Pedon ID: 00CA109008) for this Nevadafalls series typical profile are available from the National Soil Survey Laboratory at the National Soil Survey Center.